-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- President Obama said in an interview aired Sunday that the hardest decision he 's made since taking office was to send more troops to Afghanistan .

In a `` 60 Minutes '' interview , President Obama said , `` I fundamentally disagree with Dick Cheney . ''

Also in the interview on CBS ' `` 60 Minutes , '' Obama defended his decision to shut down the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay , Cuba , and he countered criticism from former vice president Dick Cheney .

`` I fundamentally disagree with Dick Cheney -- not surprisingly , '' Obama said . `` I think that Vice President Cheney has been at the head of a movement whose notion is somehow that we ca n't reconcile our core values , our Constitution , our belief that we do n't torture , with our national security interests . I think he 's drawing the wrong lesson from history . ''

Obama was responding to comments Cheney made to CNN 's `` State of the Union '' on March 15 , when he said the president is making the nation less safe by closing the Guantanamo prison and ending interrogation practices that Bush administration critics consider torture for terror suspects .

Just a month into office , Obama ordered 17,000 troops to Afghanistan , the original front in the `` war on terrorism '' sparked by the September 2001 attacks on New York and Washington .

`` I think it 's the right thing to do . But it 's a weighty decision because we actually had to make the decision prior to the completion of the strategic review that we were conducting , '' Obama said .

Coming off a tumultuous week over the millions in bonuses paid out to employees of AIG , Obama said Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner 's job is secure despite critics calling for his resignation .

Obama joked that even if Geithner were to tender his resignation , the president would tell him , `` Sorry buddy , you 've still got the job . ''

Geithner has come under fire over the $ 165 million in bonuses AIG paid its top executives after the insurance giant received more than $ 170 billion in federal bailout money .

A loophole in the recently approved economic stimulus bill , included at the behest of the Treasury , allowed AIG to pay the bonuses .

`` It 's going to take a little bit more time than we would like to make sure that we get this plan just right , '' Obama said .

The president also stressed that his administration wo n't endorse a House bill that would levy a 90 percent tax on bonuses paid out by companies that receive bailout money .

`` As a general proposition , you do n't want to be passing laws that are just targeting a handful of individuals , '' Obama said . `` You want to pass laws that have some broad applicability ... you certainly do n't want to use the tax code to punish people . ''

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Dick Cheney has drawn ` the wrong lesson from history , ' president said

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Obama said his hardest decision so far is sending more troops to Afghanistan

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He would n't accept resignation from Treasury Secretary Geithner , Obama said

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Obama said he would n't endorse a 90 percent tax on bonuses , targeting just a few